Unqualified Dog Behaviorists

Giving Bad Information

©Ed Frawley

Leerburg Ent. Inc.

I am constantly getting emails from people who seek help from local dog behaviorists. When people get good information, problems go away, but more often than not these local trainers do not have the experience or the knowledge to deal with serious dominance or aggression problems.

This not only results in a lot of bad information being passed out, it results in DANGEROUS information being passed out. A perfect example is how often local trainers tell people to ALPHA ROLL a dominant dog or to use a HALTI on a dominant dog.

I have decided to start including examples of these emails on this web page.

A seriously aggressive rescue dog:

Mr. Frawley,

I am relieved (and perhaps somewhat overwhelmed :) at having found your website and spending hours pouring through the wealth of information you've provided. I will be ordering your Basic Obedience and Dealing with Dominant & Aggressive Dogs DVDs. Along with these I also see that a collar to replace the current "Martingale" we're working with will be required, however, I'm not sure if our situation warrants a electric collar, prong collar, the Leerburg Dominant dog collar some combination of these.

I realize that you're inundated with 100s of questions every day, but I'll cross my fingers and hope you may find the time for this note. We've had little luck with trainers and classes in our area. At this point, the quicker we can get the information and tools we need, the better.

We have two rescue dogs in our home. A neutered male white shep/lab X and a spayed female siberian/pitbull X. The ongoing issue in our home pertains to Lucy, the husky/pit. As inexperienced dog owners, this dog should never have been adopted out to us. To begin, she was found at the side of the road in a national park. Extensive wounds on her face and forelegs indicated some sort of wild animal attack, presumably a coyote. (Not one trainer has even *mentioned* how history would have contributed to this animal's behavior. I'm agog.)

During our first year with Lucy, she displayed minor aggression to other dogs. Uneducated as we were, both my husband and I assumed this was "a phase" and let the problem go unchecked. When the aggression escalated to a point where we came to see the potential for harm to other dogs, we quit walking into the 'minefields' of off-leash areas. Again in ignorance, we figured that the best solution to the problem was to avoid the problem altogether.

Another year or so passed before Lucy came to exhibit this same aggressive behavior during on-leash walks. At a loss, we attended generic beg/bribe/etc. training and couldn't even finish the class. The trainer offered no input other than "practice over here in the corner away from the other dogs". Our interpretation of the scenario was that the only solution to "our" problem was to stay away from other dogs. "Training" (if you want to call it that) didn't work. What we didn't count on was the fact that an unchecked aggressive dog wasn't just our problem. We found this out in a near-tragedy when Lucy had just a few seconds of access to a poodle and nearly killed it. The issue had escalated well beyond anything we could have imagined.

The blinders were officially ripped off our stupid heads and we next sought one-on-one training with a team of three professionals. This provided us with at least some concept of our long neglected positions of pack leaders within the home. We laid down some ground work (I look forward to rounding out and enhancing these skills with your Basic video) and after two months, the trainers recommended next participating in group classes. Attending these weekly for 6 months were effective in enforcing commands in the midst of distractions, however, learning to "share space" and that "other dogs are fun" was a constant struggle and met with minimal success.

Still, the instructors encouraged us to let Lucy mix and mingle outside of her pack. Their theory was that we all needed to become comfortable with this interaction and that the use of a muzzle made the situation totally safe. Not so. The result of Lucy's first free access to another dog again could have proved deadly. She immediately pounced on the smallest dog in the class and, despite the muzzle, used her head and limbs to batter the pup. The attack lasted seconds, but scared the other dog so badly it ran out into a dark, blustery Canadian winter evening onto a busier road in the city. Fortune smiled on us again in that the dog was found safe, though following the incident we've found ourselves back at minus square one.

Our trainers tell us that to now cease attending classes and working through interaction with other dogs is the worst possible thing we can do. They've also said that regression to an aggressive state that is equal to, if not worse, than when we first began training is normal??? Our walks with Lucy have become a sheer battle of wills. Oncoming cars, people on bikes, kids on skateboards and she'll sometimes lunge on her leash. A dog/cat/squirrel, even off in the distance -- anything that triggers her predator 'on' toggle switch -- and she's hanging from the Martingale, front paws flailing and the sound of 50 hounds of hell coming from somewhere in the pit of her animal gut.

There is no question in my mind that all of the sit/stay/walk behind me down the stairs/get off the furniture/don't look at that other dog & pay attention to me/ training did nothing to truly show this dog that she'd better not mind anything else but her leaders. In her eyes, our position is STILL 'if-y'. I've seen absolutely NO indication that Lucy would harm myself, my husband or our other dog. When it comes to the wild beast within though, all bets are off. She's making her own decisions as to who's in charge. She simply goes wild -- think of a shark rolling its eyes back during a feeding frenzy. Pure, unrestrained animal. Could there be potential for a prong collar to cause "handler aggression" in a case such as this? I see that you recommend using both types of collars as a safety precaution. Your advise as to which would be the better training device would be would be most helpful, however.

I had intended to keep this letter short and to the point but, as I'm sure you see in many cases; we're desperate, rambling (sorry) and shakily reaching out towards the *only* source of information we've found that brings honesty and common sense to a problem that's brought strain/strife to our home and, unfortunately, to the homes of others. The quicker we receive the information we need, as well as learn what we need to know in seeking truly professional local guidance in using the tools you recommend, the saner we'll all be.

I anxiously look forward to and offer sincere appreciation for any input you may find the time to offer. I also offer thanks for the invaluable resource you've provided through your web site. I'm sure the home learning materials will prove just as outstanding.

Best regards,

Tracey

Ed's Comments on this very aggressive dog.

You are correct – I do get a ton of emails and it is hard to answer some. This one is interesting because you have run the gauntlet and can see so many mistakes. Most people have blinders on. I will post this email on my web site.

I am writing a book on dominant dogs and this email could be an entire chapter in the book.

TO begin with your dog does not respect you. You have made the right decision in the two DVDs, you need to add the remote collar DVD.

You will need the Basic Obedience but its only about 10 to 15% of the solution for a dog like this.

A martingale is a complete waste of money time and energy on this dog.

If this were my dog I would be using a remote collar on the dog. Get a DOGTRA 1700 – this is the new DOGTRA collar – it just came out and its what I use on my dogs.

My guess is the problem with this dog has gone beyond the point where a prong collar would work – or I should say you may not be prepared to give the level of correction that is needed to make it work. Bottom line is that may be detrimental to your relationship with the dog. Many times a prong used at this level causes a dog to become MORE HECTIC because of redirected aggression from the stimulation of the prong.

In these cases the remote collar or dominant dog collar is more effective. Fact is you should use both. Just because you have a remote collar on does not eliminate the need for a dominant collar and leash.

Run the dog through the program of desensitizing the dog to the collar being on. When that’s done the training can begin. For dogs with this kind of aggression they get stimulated at the highest level the collar provides for animal aggression. To start at a lower level runs the risk of the dog learning to “take the shock and fight through the stimulation.”

When another animal is seen by the handler the dog is told “NO” and the INSTANT the dog even looks at the animal it receives the highest stimulation. So the correction comes for looking at an animal not fighting with the animal. Start at some distance – (with some dogs this can be ½ block away)

You will find that when done properly the dog will actually turn its head away from dogs.

I recommend that you visit my web site and read a training article I recently wrote titled THE THEORY OF CORRECTIONS IN DOG TRAINING. You have an extreme case (because of all the mistakes that have been made) So you need to study this.

It is extremely important that your dog understands that the correction in the collar is coming from YOU. This is accomplished by always saying NO before you push the button. This is how respect is built.

I am sorry I wish I had more time but I don’t.

When purchasing any product from Leerburg Enterprises, Inc. it is understood that any and all products sold by Leerburg Enterprises, Inc. are sold in Dunn County Wisconsin, USA. Any and all legal action taken against Leerburg Enterprises, Inc. concerning the purchase or use of these products must take place in Dunn County, Wisconsin. If customers do not agree with this policy they should not purchase Leerburg Ent. Inc. products.

Dog Training is never without risk of injury. Do not use any of the products sold by Leerburg Enterprises, Inc. without consulting a local professional. The training methods shown in the Leerburg Ent. Inc. DVD’s are meant to be used with a local instructor or trainer. Leerburg Enterprises, Inc. cannot be held responsible for accidents or injuries to humans and/or animals.

Copyright 2009 Leerburg® Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved. US Copyright Link. By accessing any information within Leerburg.com, you agree to abide by the Leerburg.com Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.



Raising Puppies	Training DVDs	Training Equipment	New Products